Despite not being a “morning person,” I’ve been waking up at 5am for three years.
The feeling of waking up and getting a lot of work done made me happy and accomplished. I could meditate, read, write, study, or get started on significant projects with few distractions.
But recently I started to have a strange feeling at the of every workday.
I didn’t feel like I did “enough” and felt incomplete.
After giving it some thought, I figured out my problem. That feeling was present because I still had a long list of tasks that DID NOT get done.
Instead of focusing on what I had accomplished, I focused on what I didn’t accomplish.
Apparently, I’m not the only one feeling this way at the end of the workday. I stumbled across an article explaining just how common this phenomenon was.
They suggested a simple solution that I’ve been working to implement for the last couple of weeks.
Everyone has a to-do list or some version of it. Every time you check something, you get a rush of excitement.
Start adding a GOT DONE section to your list or create a new list altogether. I’ve been using an index card to do this. I still love the feeling of pen on paper.
Whenever someone calls for a random conversation, it gets noted. An emergency zoom? Write it all down in your GOT DONE list.
I find it fascinating that there is at least one fire that needs to be put out every day without fail. I write every little thing and then mark it as done.
Every day when I do this, I feel like I made the best of my day. Nothing changed other than noting and scratching off a few things.
Waking up at 5am feels worthwhile again.
